CBO Official: Congress Is Scrutinizing Coverage Variation Based on Race, Income

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) garnered headlines recently when it projected that not only will the uninsured rate reach a record low this year, it will creep up again in the next 10 years. In a June 1 webinar hosted by Health Affairs, a CBO official expounded upon how those projections came about, noting that at the behest of Congress, the agency is closely following how coverage shifts affect particular demographics. 

In its new projections, CBO said that the uninsured rate among people who are younger than 65 will increase from an unprecedented 8.3% this year to 10.1% in 2033, which would still be below the 12% rate from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimates, which were published in Health Affairs on June 24, show the impact that the expiration of temporary policies put into place during COVID will have on insurance coverage.